


Stranger Things Have Probably Happened

by this_is_how_we_get_ants



Series: Strange Things [2]
Category: Supernatural, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Awkwardness, Bewildered Steve Rogers, Crossover, Dean is a Little Shit, Dimension Travel, Domestic Fluff, Gen, Mild Language, Not Canon Compliant, Pre-Slash, Sam is a Saint, Sick Loki, Snarky Loki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-31
Updated: 2015-12-31
Packaged: 2018-05-10 14:04:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5588914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/this_is_how_we_get_ants/pseuds/this_is_how_we_get_ants
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The gang arrives at Bobby's house.  Steve is awkward, Loki is snarky, Dean is a middle school boy, Bobby is so done, Castiel keeps disappearing, and Sam is just trying to stay out of the fray.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stranger Things Have Probably Happened

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a continuation of the verse in The Strangest Things Happen in the Middle of Nowhere. I have honestly been surprised that I've gotten so much positive feedback on that fic, so thanks. :) I didn't plan for this to be a series, but it has demanded that I continue it, and I think that the world needs more of the Winchesters, Cas, Steve, and Loki cruising across the US in the Impala together because of reasons. 
> 
> Happy New Year! Here's to new adventures!

The place was huge, overwhelmingly so. Steve still couldn’t get over the amount of different cars in the enormous parking lot, let alone the size of the store. As they had walked through the doors that automatically whooshed open for them, Steve had been immediately hit with sensory overload. For a moment he’d just stood frozen, with Loki leaning heavily against his shoulder.

He was jolted from his thoughts by the sound of an electric motor bearing down on him. Something collided with the back of his legs. Again.

It had been Dean’s idea to put Loki in one of the motorized shopping carts so they wouldn’t have to carry him around. Steve was really starting to question that man’s judgement. So far Loki had crashed into him at least ten different times. At first he had shrugged it off; he wouldn’t know how to operate one of those things either. But when Loki came barreling towards him head-on, he stopped feeling sympathetic and started feeling vaguely homicidal.

An old woman in the toothpaste aisle had given Loki and Steve a dirty look, so Loki had ‘accidentally’ run over her foot. Steve had never blushed so hard. He had been sure that the lady was going to start hitting them with her purse, but Sam had heard the commotion and come to defuse the situation.

Steve was unsure what exactly Sam had said to smooth things over. However, it seemed that despite his imposing figure he could charm the ire out of an old lady. Sam emerged from the aisle, the old lady patting his elbow, which was about as high as she could reach. She paused to shoot a sympathetic look at Steve. Her eyes drifted to Loki, and the sympathy wavered slightly, but she just clucked her tongue and shuffled away.

Loki narrowed his eyes dangerously at Sam. Perhaps Loki had been able to hear whatever it was that Sam had said to pacify the little old lady. If so, then it appeared that Loki was not amused. Sam had been the next victim of the demon cart and its crazy driver.

Currently, Loki and Steve were wandering around the store. They were supposed to find some clothes that ‘normal people’ would wear. Steve was not entirely sure why Sam and Dean had left the two of them to their own devices; it certainly didn’t seem like the most solid plan. But, he supposed, they weren’t going to get very far on their own in this strange place. This _alternate dimension_.

Suddenly Loki came to an abrupt stop before the irritating beeping sound signaled that he was backing up. Steve came up next to him and saw what had grabbed his attention. A display of tiny dolls in shiny boxes lined the shelves. The two of them stared at the colorful signage proclaiming ‘The Avengers’. He leaned down to peer closer at the toys. There was a tiny blond doll holding up a shield with a star. Steve felt rather disconcerted at the sight.

Loki scoffed, “His hair looks terrible,” before rolling forward.

Steve looked down to see the tiny Thor that Loki had pointed at. The painted on facial hair really was rather disturbing, and the hair on the doll’s head looked like it had been styled with super glue. He grimaced at the Iron Man figure on the shelf below Thor. His doll’s grin was maniacal and, in a strange way, it felt too accurate.

Loki was in an aisle surrounded by more Avengers toys when Steve caught up with him. There were Hulk fists, Mjolnir replicas, and versions of Steve’s shield made from cheap plastic. He made a choking sound in his throat when he saw miniature Tesseracts that said ‘Try Me!’ Loki was turning one of these tiny cubes around in his hands when it suddenly started flashing rapidly.

“Gah!” The Tesseract tumbled from Loki’s hands to the linoleum floor, which only caused it to change colors more aggressively.

“What is this?” Steve murmured.

Loki turned to him, “I do not know, but these cheap imitation items are ridiculous.”

The cursed beeping sounded again and suddenly Steve was surrounded by an avalanche of fallen Mjolnir hammers. When he looked up Loki was already sailing away. He momentarily struggled between picking up the display and following Loki. Following Loki won out as the more important task.

Steve located Loki cruising through the men’s clothing section. A loud cackle drew his attention, and he hurried towards it to try and avert any crises.

  
“Apparently they are quite infatuated with you here, Captain,” Loki chuckled.

  
Steve looked down in horror to find a shirt featuring a cartoon version of a man he assumed was meant to be him in his Captain America suit. He found himself blushing furiously when he met Loki’s gaze. This just caused Loki to smile wickedly and drop the T-shirt in his cart’s basket.

  
“What are you doing?” Steve exclaimed, moving to grab the shirt back.

  
Loki simply powered away laughing, “I think I should like to get this shirt!” Steve stood for a moment, gaping in embarrassment.

  
Loki’s familiar cackle sounded from a section across the aisle. He walked over to find Loki pointing at what appeared to be women’s undergarments and laughing. Steve gawped at the suggestive positioning of the tiny shields on the garments. Desperate to trump Loki’s find Steve began casting around the lingerie section. There was a surprising amount of so-called _Avengers_ themed merchandise displayed on three concurrent racks. As he looked at the hanger next to the Loki garments he found himself dumbstruck by the suggestive message that even he understood splayed underneath a cartoon version of Thor wielding Mjolnir.

  
It didn’t take long before Steve and Loki were both red-faced and laughing. A few people had passed by and given them strange looks. At first Steve had been embarrassed, but one look at Loki’s face and they were both snickering again in seconds. He honestly couldn’t remember the last time he had laughed this hard. Maybe he was hysterical, but the whole situation was just so utterly ridiculous that laughing seemed like the only plausible response.

  
“There you are!” Dean exclaimed.

  
He and Sam stood facing Steve and Loki, who looked like two guilty children standing inexplicably in the women’s lingerie section failing to cease their snickering. The brothers surveyed the scene for a moment before Sam burst out laughing.

  
Dean turned to them, “Goddammit! Where’s Cas? Can’t leave you kids alone for five minutes!”

  
Sam had discovered the Captain America merchandise in Loki’s cart, which he held up for Dean to see, “Looks like they found some stuff,” he snickered.

  
“Narcissistic much?” Dean asked Steve.

  
Steve blushed, “They’re not mine!” he protested.

  
Sam and Dean both burst out laughing, “Wow,” was all Dean managed to get out between guffaws.

  
“Hey, it’s cool. No judgement,” Sam held his hands up when he finally recovered.

  
“What is that supposed to mean?” Loki snapped.

  
No one answered him.

* * *

  
The car ride seemed interminable. Between the screaming classic rock and Loki’s bear-like snoring Steve’s head was aching. Somewhere along the way Castiel had reappeared in the backseat between Loki and Steve, causing Dean to curse colorfully as he almost swerved off the road.

  
Finally they turned off into a lot filled with cars in various states of disrepair. Steve couldn’t believe the sheer volume of vehicles on the property. There were some dilapidated sheds, and finally Steve could make out an old house.

  
“We’re here!” Dean sing-songed.

  
Loki’s snoring abruptly cut off and Steve felt an immediate flood of relief. He scrambled to open the car door and fell out into the twilight.

  
“’Lo Bobby!” Sam waved at a man in the doorway of the old house.

  
The ragtag crew began to advance towards the house.

  
“ _Steve_!” a voice hissed.

  
Steve turned back around to see that Loki was leaning heavily against the side of the car. He felt a pang of shame in his chest for forgetting about Loki’s condition. Quickly, he turned back around and offered his shoulder for Loki to lean on. They hobbled slowly to the others standing in the doorway.

  
“Loki and Captain America?” the bearded man, who Steve presumed owned the place, asked dubiously.

  
“Yeah, Bobby,” Dean sighed.

  
Castiel whispered something to Dean before suddenly disappearing. Loki looked longingly at the place where the angel had just been standing. For reasons he could not possibly explain Steve gave Loki’s bony shoulder a sympathetic squeeze. The god turned slightly surprised eyes towards Steve before quickly looking away again.

  
The man, apparently called Bobby, looked Steve up and down, “Well I’ll be damned! Come in, come in,” he said stepping back.

  
Once inside the house, Steve stood awkwardly supporting an increasingly heavy Loki. Bobby stood surveying them. Steve noticed a slightly awed look in the man’s eyes when he spotted Steve’s shield which Steve had insisted upon liberating from the trunk.

  
“I’ll be damned,” he repeated again, “Never thought I’d be meetin’ Captain America. I was a big fan of the comics as a kid.”

  
Steve didn’t know what to say, so he simply nodded and offered a strained smile. His shoulder was starting to complain about supporting Loki’s impossible weight. It seemed that the god was slouching on him more and more as the minutes passed. He shifted uncomfortably.

  
“Um, is there somewhere he can sit down?” Steve asked.

  
Dean came over to support Loki’s other side and they awkwardly hobbled to a room covered in books. There was an old couch where they deposited Loki. Loki met Steve’s eyes, and Steve could have sworn that he saw gratefulness in his green gaze.

  
Once again blushing inexplicably Steve blurted, “You want something to drink or a blanket or anything?”

  
Loki looked slightly amused, but shook his head. His eyes were already drooping and before long he appeared to be asleep. Steve hoped that since he was on his side they might be spared the awful chainsaw snores.

  
“Can we leave him alone in here?” Dean asked, gesturing to Loki’s prone form.

  
Steve shrugged hesitantly, “I can stay with him,” he offered.

  
Dean, Sam, and Bobby seemed to hold a silent conversation before Dean nodded. The men headed to the kitchen, leaving Steve alone with a slumbering Loki.

  
Steve found a relatively comfy looking chair buried under a pile of well-worn books. He carefully moved the books to a neat stack on the floor before settling in.

  
To his right, Loki didn’t so much as stir. His black hair had lost its impeccable, slicked back look. It was now slightly wavy and hanging around his pale face. Steve sat watching the locks stir gently with each exhale. Loki’s hand twitched slightly in his sleep, and Steve found himself smiling slightly at how childlike Loki appeared in sleep.

  
Realizing he was staring, Steve cleared his throat and cast around for something to do. The obvious answer was to choose one of the myriad books to read. He surveyed the titles closest to him that he had just moved off the chair. They ranged from _Wendigos in North America_ to _Mythological Creatures of Japan: Ittan-Momen to Kasa-Obake_. Steve’s eyes began to droop as he read the nonsensical titles, and soon he was fast asleep, too.

* * *

  
A borderline painful gasp was how Steve woke up. Instinctively, he jumped out of the chair as soon as he realized it was unfamiliar. He was instantly awake and alert as he surveyed the space. His eyes landed on a form lying against the arm rest of a couch.

  
It took him only a second to discern that the figure was Loki, his green eyes strangely luminescent in the near-darkness. Everything came rushing back to him, and he slumped into the chair with the weight of it. He couldn’t help the feelings of disappointment and helplessness that coursed through his brain. Before he had received the serum, he had felt this way fairly often; it was distressingly familiar.

  
He straightened, shaking off the lingering doubt. Loki was still staring at him from across the room. For a moment, they just sat in silence regarding one another. There was a feeling in the air that Steve couldn’t quite put his finger on, but he shrugged it off.

  
“How are you feeling?” he asked.

  
Loki sighed, “Tired,” his voice still sounded slightly gravelly from sleep.

  
Steve tried to ignore the strange tone in Loki’s voice, “Can I get you anything?”

  
Emerald eyes turned to him, seeming to search for something in his face. The usual mask of arrogance seemed to slip more and more with every second. It was almost as if Loki couldn’t decide whether to wear it or not. From moment to moment, his face could change; the mask alternatingly in place and missing.

  
Finally he spoke, sounding disturbingly defeated, “I would quite like to use the washroom, if there is one in this place.”

  
Steve almost laughed at the look of disdain Loki cast to the ratty couch he was seated on. A quiet chuckle escaped before he could stop it. Loki’s eyes shot up to Steve’s defensively, but he seemed to relax when he realized Steve wasn’t laughing at him. In fact, if Steve wasn’t mistaken, he thought he saw a small smile play across his lips.

* * *

  
“So, uh, I’ll leave you two to it, then,” Bobby cleared his throat awkwardly and began to back out of the room.

  
Steve stood paralyzed in the middle of the bathroom, Loki leaning against his shoulder. Dean or Sam, probably Dean, snorted from his position in the doorway.

  
“Don’t bust a capillary there, Captain,” Dean laughed, “Someone’s gotta help Tall Dark and Surly, and it sure as hell ain’t gonna be me.  I don't trust him not to drown me.”

  
Loki growled softly next to Steve. Dean made a face as if to say, ‘ _what did I tell you_?’’ Before Steve even had a chance to argue, the three human men were magically gone. He pursed his lips, unwilling to turn to Loki next to him.

  
“Oh relax, Captain,” Loki sighed, “I have no intentions of tainting your virtue.”

  
Steve could feel his ears turning red. A wicked smile cut across the Trickster’s face. “Not tonight, anyway,” he said with a wink.

  
Steve honestly almost dropped Loki on the floor. Loki, naturally, was absolutely delighted at Steve’s extreme discomfort. Not for the first time, Steve found himself desperately praying to whatever God was listening to return him to his timeline.

* * *

  
Not even an hour later, there was water _everywhere_. Steve tried not to look at Loki, who was naked and seething on the ground, while Steve desperately cast around for a towel.

  
Things had deteriorated quickly. Neither of them knew how to operate Bobby’s shower. Out of the two of them Steve had the most experience with modern plumbing, but to his eternal chagrin, it seemed that every shower he encountered was entirely different than the ones before it. Steve wasn’t even entirely sure that this was meant to be a shower. It was really just an ancient claw foot tub with some questionable additional plumbing added. As Steve messed with the knobs, Loki had leaned against the sink waiting and making snarky, and decidedly unhelpful comments.

  
Finally, Steve had managed to finagle the temperamental plumbing into working properly. The next task was to get Loki _into_ the shower. When Steve had turned around, the god was already completely bare. He would adamantly deny to anyone that he had made a rather undignified noise, or that he had jumped, or that he had slipped on the water that had gotten all over the floor, or that he had fallen down and hit his head.

  
Somehow they had managed to get Loki into the tub. Steve honestly thought his face was going to burst into flames, he was blushing so hard. The worst part was that Loki delighted in the effect the situation was having on Steve. And honestly, Steve had been in the _Army_. It wasn’t like he hadn’t already seen more of people than he could ever forget back then.

  
Everything had gone wrong when it was time to get Loki out. Long story short, they had wobbled awkwardly, Loki still entirely too naked. The problem was the tub; it was inconveniently high for Loki to step over smoothly. So, naturally, Loki had tripped. In turn, Steve had lost his footing on the wet floor. Ultimately, they had both ended up on the floor.

  
There was a knock at the door, and suddenly Dean, Sam, and Bobby were all bearing witness to Steve’s humiliation.

  
Dean immediately proceeded to snicker shamelessly. In fact, his snickering quickly escalated to full-blown laughter that seemed to be contagious.

  
Steve squeezed his eyes shut. He knew how it looked; Loki sprawled awkwardly on top of Steve. Not to mention that Loki was naked, and Steve was soaked in water. Actually, the whole room was soaked in water.

  
Sam was laughing so hard that he had to leave the room. Bobby seemed as uncomfortable as Steve felt, and he slowly backed out of the room. That left Dean to assist them, if he could just get control of his laughter. Steve was pretty sure that there were tears leaking from Dean’s eyes.

  
“For God’s sake, are you gonna help us?” Steve’s embarrassment was causing his rarely seen temper to flare. He had at least managed to roll Loki off of him. Because that man seriously weighed more than a ton of bricks, Steve would swear to it.

  
Steve’s out of character show of anger seemed to amuse Loki and Dean. The two of them exchanged _looks_. Steve was pretty sure they were cut from the same cloth, and that cloth was Trouble with a capital T.

  
Finally, Dean finally stepped forward with two large towels and threw one at Loki. “You might want to cover up there, dude. I think Cap’s like five seconds away from exploding, and Bobby will probably kick us out if that happens.” Dean turned to Steve. “Hey, you got a little something,” he paused and grinned wickedly, “everywhere.” He threw the remaining towel at Steve, and naturally it landed on his face.

  
Steve sighed, taking a moment to collect himself while his face was covered. This whole situation was just ridiculous. Unfortunately, he hadn’t heard anything to give him hope about being speedily returned to his timeline. And really, it _wasn’t_ his timeline. His timeline was long gone, even in this dimension. No matter whether he was able to return to his time, or if he was stuck indefinitely in this one, he wouldn’t ever really belong.

* * *

  
Steve had ultimately left Dean and Loki to deal with the mess in the bathroom. He could only take so much of either of them. Put them together, and it was just more than he could handle. He had found the bedroom that Bobby had pointed out to him on the way to the bathroom. Inside the room he found the purchases they had made for him earlier in the day along with the old clothes that had been dug up for him. Grumbling, he shucked the waterlogged jeans. The soggy shirt and socks soon followed.

  
He was just digging through the bags for another shirt when he heard a throat clearing behind him. Taking a deep breath to reign in the temper that was threatening to pop out again, he turned around. To his surprise Loki was leaning against the door frame, seemingly alone.

  
For a moment they just quietly watched each other. Then Steve remembered that he was trying to find dry clothes. He turned away from Loki, muttering under his breath again. Finally he located a shirt and tugged it on. Even then he could feel Loki’s eyes on him. Frustrated and flustered, he spun around to glare at Loki. But when he turned around Loki’s face looked drained and soft. The expression made Steve pause and drop the glare. Loki slowly raised his eyes to Steve’s and smiled tiredly before slowly walking into the room. It was almost painful to watch. After all, it seemed as though Loki had just been at peak strength leading an alien army into battle. Now he moved like a frail old man, using whatever was convenient to support his frame as he came into the room.

  
Steve sighed and reached out an arm to help Loki. “Thank you,” Loki muttered, almost too quiet for Steve to hear. But whether Loki was aware or not, Steve had spectacular hearing. Together, Steve bearing most of the weight, they navigated Loki to the bed where he dropped heavily onto the quilt. Neither of them spoke, and Steve finally turned away.

  
“Why are you being so good to me?” Loki’s quiet voice broke Steve’s concentration and he fumbled the socks he had grabbed.

  
“Wh- what do you mean?” Steve asked, not meeting Loki’s eyes.

  
“I mean, just yesterday we were fighting against one another as enemies.” Loki’s voice was soft and Steve turned so he could watch his face as he spoke. “How can you treat me with such kindness when I brought such evil into your world, your home?”

  
Steve sat blinking stupidly at Loki. He realized he didn’t actually have an answer to that question. Why _was_ he being so nice? What reason did _he_ have to help Loki? Really, he should be giving Loki the cold shoulder, or trying to convince the Winchesters to lock him up somewhere and lose the key. But… instead, he was going out of his way to assist Loki.

  
“I- it’s just… It’s the right thing to do,” Steve said lamely.

  
Loki pursed his lips, considering Steve’s response. “Because I am weakened?” he asked.

  
Steve shook his head. “No, it’s not just that. I just,” Steve shrugged, unsure what he wanted to say.

  
He heard Loki draw in a breath as if he was going to say something else when there was a knock. “You guys hungry?” Sam hovered just outside the door. “There’s pizza downstairs.”

  
Steve nodded, looking to Loki with his eyebrows raised in question. Loki sighed, “I- yes, food would be lovely,” he said.

* * *

  
Steve woke the next morning to a commotion downstairs. He could make out Dean’s raised voice, and the unmistakable scent of bacon. That was enough to get him up and out of bed. He was almost out of the room when he remembered Loki.

  
The room they had been put in must have normally been used by Dean and Sam. Dean had taken the couch, and Sam had gone into the basement which Steve hadn’t questioned. Anyway, there were two beds in the room where he and Loki had slept. When he turned around, Loki was still asleep. Thankfully, he was not snoring. Steve had been so exhausted the previous night that if Loki had snored at all, Steve hadn’t noticed.

  
“Hey, Loki?” Steve spoke hesitantly.

  
Loki stirred in his bed before pulling the quilt up over his head. Steve heard him mutter something, but it was unintelligible from his position. He shrugged and decided to leave him alone. Some quality rest certainly couldn’t hurt him.

  
When he walked into the kitchen he found Dean and Castiel and a mess on the floor. Dean was shaking his spatula at Castiel, while still keeping one eye on the pan full of bacon he was frying. Castiel looked unaffected as usual. In fact, as soon as Dean huffed and turned his full attention back to cooking, Castiel made a motion and the cracked eggs on the floor disappeared. Steve watched the scene with a slight smile on his face.

  
He felt a heavy hand drop on his shoulder, and he almost jumped. “Morning,” Sam said as he made his way into the kitchen. He headed straight for the fridge and had the orange juice carton poised just above his lips when Bobby appeared and swatted him with a heavy book. Sam choked in surprise and dropped the carton. Luckily, Castiel caught it without even appearing to move.

  
“I know for a fact ya weren’t born in a barn,” Bobby scolded as he pulled a mug out of one of the cupboards and poured himself some coffee.

  
Sam rolled his eyes, but his smirk betrayed his true amusement. He made a show of getting a glass out and pouring orange juice into it. Bobby simply grunted at him, engrossed in the pages of the book he’d been carrying.

  
A click sounded, and Steve turned to see Dean plop the pan of bacon on a disturbingly singed potholder in the center of the table. Sam moved to grab for a piece and Dean whacked his hand with the spatula. “Nuh-uh! Wait your turn, Sammy.”

  
Dean proceeded to load up a plate with an obscene amount of bacon before turning to Steve. “Hey Cap, guests after chefs,” he said gesturing at the sizzling bacon.

  
Sam made a sound of protest in his throat, but Steve’s only focus was on the plate that Dean was loading up with all but a few of the remaining pieces. “Voila!” he brandished the dish at Steve.

  
“What the hell, man? There’s like none left!” Sam whined.

  
Dean shrugged, “You want Captain America to starve?”

  
Sam grumbled as he turned to search for breakfast. Dean turned to Steve, “There would have been eggs, but _someone_ ruined that.” He glared pointedly at Castiel, who simply blinked innocently back.

  
Eventually Sam returned with a box of sugary cereal and a mug of coffee. Bobby wordlessly extended his mug in Sam’s direction. There was a deep sigh, but Sam grabbed the cup. He returned with two steaming mugs and offered one to Steve. “Thanks,” Steve said.

  
“ _Are you just going to leave me up here to starve to death_?” Steve cringed as Loki’s voice carried down from upstairs.

  
Dean sputtered out half the drink of coffee he’d just taken. “I forgot about Mr. Sunshine,” he swiped the back of his hand over his mouth.

  
Just as Dean finished speaking, there was the sound that Steve realized signaled Castiel’s arrival or departure. When he looked towards the source, he saw a scowling Loki gripping Castiel’s neck awkwardly. Steve couldn’t help it; the indignant expression on Loki’s face drew an involuntary laugh from deep within him. Naturally Loki was not amused. He glared fiercely at Steve.

  
“Nice PJs,” Dean sniggered.

  
Steve looked closer at what Loki was wearing. He made an indignant sound when he saw the Captain America figure and the mini shields on Loki’s pajamas. He was sure that he’d gotten all of the Captain America stuff out of the cart before they checked out! Of course Loki managed to sneak these by him. Dean probably had something to do with it, too. Those two could not be trusted.

* * *

  
They had all gathered in the room where Steve had sat with Loki the previous day. Bobby was seated behind the desk, with Dean and Sam each hovering over a shoulder. Castiel stood in the center of the room. Loki had collapsed on the couch he’d napped on the day before. Steve stood to the side, leaning against a wall.

  
Dean, Sam, and Bobby had been holding a muttered conference occasionally pointing at something in one of the books spread over the desk. They had been this way for some time now, and Steve was starting to question what purpose his presence was actually serving. A glance at Loki showed him leaning his head against the back of the couch, his arms crossed and eyes closed.

  
Dean heaved a frustrated sigh, stepping away from Bobby’s desk. He paced for a moment before suddenly turning to Castiel. “Can _you_ send them back?”

  
“No,” Castiel replied.

  
Dean growled in frustration. “Well how the hell are we supposed to get them back where they came from then?”

  
Castiel turned his gaze on Loki, “The one who cast the spell should be able to reverse it.”

  
Apparently realizing that Castiel was talking about him Loki cracked open one eye. What he saw must not have been worth opening both eyes for, though. He closed them both and sighed heavily.

  
“Hey, Harry Potter!” Dean picked up a book and raised it throwing it at Loki despite Bobby’s warnings of what he would do if Dean threw that book.

  
The book impacted Loki in the chest and his eyes flew open, the intense emerald seeming to flare with anger as he glared coldly at Dean. As Bobby smacked the back of Dean’s head, Loki picked up the book and set it down on the cushion next to him.

  
“I take it you want something,” Loki spoke evenly. “Although, I must admit, I find the method of throwing things at someone a strange way to gain their cooperation.”

  
Dean rolled his eyes, “Blah, blah, blah. Cas says you have to be the one to reverse the spell, so what d’you need to make the magic happen?” He wiggled his eyebrows in a way that caused Sam to roll his eyes.

  
Something that Steve couldn’t pin down flitted through Loki’s eyes. A bit of the righteous anger seemed to drain from him, as well. “I do not feel well,” Loki said abruptly. “Steve? Can you help me, please? I believe I need to lie down.”

  
Steve was rather bewildered by the unexpected expression in Loki’s eyes. So he awkwardly made his way over to Loki helping him stand. But as soon as he was standing, Loki’s knees buckled. With his reflexes, Steve managed to catch Loki before he fell.

  
“Will you let me carry you?” Steve whispered as he helped Loki rise.

  
Loki frowned, but ultimately just sighed, “Do what you must.”

  
Steve tried not to let Loki see his frown as he heaved him up into his arms. His muscles quickly adjusted to the unexpected weight they were suddenly responsible for. Without looking at the others, Steve carried Loki out of the room.

* * *

  
Steve couldn’t sleep. He felt like he’d been awake and staring at the wall for hours. He supposed he should get up and walk around a little bit, but he couldn’t quite make himself push off the covers. Instead, he simply lay still, listening to the quiet sounds of an old house at night.

  
“Steve?” Loki’s voice unexpectedly broke the silence.

  
“Is everything OK? Do you need something?” Steve asked. Any pretense of sleep was quickly forgotten as he turned to look at Loki.

  
Loki sighed. “My magic is not returning as it should be,” he replied quietly, turning so that he was lying on his side facing Steve.

  
Steve felt a rush of alarm at Loki’s words. If Loki’s magic didn’t come back, would they ever be able to go home again? He quickly tamped down the thoughts and scolded himself for being so selfish. Unsure what to say, Steve remained silent. Before long, he could hear the sound of Loki’s breathing slowing down. Eventually, he too drifted into a restless slumber.

* * *

  
A persistent rustling sound drew Steve out of his sleep. He cracked his eyes open to see that dawn was just barely breaking. Sighing, he let his eyes fall closed again. It was unlikely that he would be able to fall back asleep, but he didn’t really feel like getting up yet either. As he debated in his mind, he became aware of the rustling sound that had awakened him in the first place.

  
He opened his eyes again and looked around the dim room. His focus immediately was drawn to Loki’s bed. Although he couldn’t actually see Loki, there was a shivering lump of blankets that indicated his presence. Steve hauled himself out of his bed, wincing at the coldness of the floor against his bare feet.

  
“Loki?”

  
There was no response. He stepped closer and tugged on the quilt. Loki was huddled in the fetal position, shaking. The sound of his harsh breathing filled the air intermittently. They were spaced too far apart, though. Steve placed a hand against Loki’s forehead. The skin there was clammy and too warm. Without hesitating, Steve scooped Loki and his mass of blankets up and rushed down the stairs.

  
Dean was in the library sprawled out on the couch fast asleep. Sam and Bobby were nowhere in sight. He peeked into the kitchen but Castiel seemed to be gone again. “Castiel?” he whispered.

  
The sound of beating wings behind him brought a rush of relief for once instead of the usual unpleasant shock. Dean snorted on the couch and tumbled to the floor with a muffled curse. Steve couldn’t be bothered to care, though, he wordlessly held Loki towards Castiel.

  
“I don’t know what’s wrong with him, but he’s feverish and his pulse is sluggish.  And we can't take him to a doctor.” Steve said.

  
Dean hurried over and helped Steve situate Loki’s trembling form on the couch. Castiel approached silently and placed a hand on Loki’s forehead. He closed his eyes as though he was seeing something in his head. After a moment he withdrew his hand.

  
“I have never seen anything quite like this,” Castiel admitted.

  
“Do whatever you have to,” Steve replied.

  
He and Dean watched tensely as Castiel pulled the tangle of blankets away from Loki’s chest. Then, to Steve’s absolute horror, Castiel plunged a hand _inside_ Loki’s chest. Dean winced, but he had the appearance of someone who had seen this before. That did very little to reassure Steve, but he realized he didn’t have much choice.

  
Loki’s entire body immediately seized up. His green eyes popped open, shiny with fever and pain. He screamed once, a wretched, broken sound. But after that, there was no sound. Tears slipped down his cheeks as Castiel held him down.

  
At some point Bobby and Sam appeared, likely they’d heard that awful scream. They wordlessly stood with Steve and Dean watching the scene on the couch. It seemed to go on forever. Steve wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take. He hated seeing that kind of agony on anyone, he’d seen the look often enough during the war.

  
Finally, Castiel withdrew his hand. Loki immediately slumped, boneless against the couch. He seemed to slip into unconsciousness right away. The four of them watched him for a few minutes before silently moving to the kitchen.

  
“What the hell was that?” Steve demanded.

  
“Did he tell you that his magic was not returning to him?” Castiel asked.

  
Steve hesitated before nodding.

  
“I am not sure how to explain it,” Castiel said, “His magic seems to be a part of him so thoroughly entwined with his being that his soul was... sick.”

  
Everyone was silent as they stared at Castiel. Finally Dean broke the silence, “His soul was sick.”

  
Castiel nodded.

  
Dean ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

  
“So his magic,” Sam began, “It’s not coming back? What does that mean?”

  
No one seemed to have an answer, but Steve could tell what they were all thinking. “We won’t be able to go back.”

  
+

**Author's Note:**

> I am between seasons 6 & 7 of SPN right now, so if there are discrepancies that's why! :)
> 
> P.S. The Tesseract bit is inspired by the time I tried to use the Tesseract that came in the Phase 1 collector's edition as a makeshift flashlight irl. It was not my best idea.


End file.
